The Texas Rangers Parade of Happiness

The Texas Rangers fans gathered in groups of thousands all around the Arlington Entertainment District on Friday morning all the way into Friday evening. People gathered to celebrate the first World Series championship for the Texas Rangers. Generations of Rangers fans have seen nothing but sadness and heartbreak over the years So much so that it came to be expected that this team would eventually break your hearts. 

I have a personal story here, but my wife was fearful during October and this playoff run. She was afraid this team was going to break my heart once again. Why wouldn’t they? That is all I have known as a fan of this Texas Rangers franchise. It was a common joke among my in-laws when I would say I think this is the year. The Rangers as a franchise were a joke among people who were not fans and among the fans they became a burden to cheer for. 

That all changed on Wednesday night. It changed forever when Josh Sborz struck out Ketel Marte and the Texas Rangers became the 2023 World Series champions. That will never be erased from the history books. 

The largest gathering of Texas Rangers' fans ever

Friday afternoon was a celebration of all this team had accomplished. It was estimated that anywhere from 250 thousand to 500 thousand or more were gathered in this small area surrounding Globe Life Field. I was one of those in attendance because I would not miss this celebration. There was Texas Rangers fans everywhere I looked. It was in my mind the largest gathering of Texas Rangers fans ever. 

This was a celebration not only for the 2023 Texas Rangers, but a celebration of the franchise. One of the trailers was carrying members of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. Fans all around the parade were wearing jersey of players of teams gone by. For as much as Josh Hamilton said that the Dallas Metroplex is not a baseball town, this fan base came out to celebrate in numbers unseen for an achievement that was unexpected. 

As trailer after trailer would go by fans would cheer for the operations staff, coaching staff, the assistants to the GM, and the broadcast teams. The loudest cheers and chants were reserved for the players. In the area I was in outside the stadium, it appeared the biggest cheers came for Evan Carter, Adolis Garcia, and Corey Seager. 

My favorite part of the epic celebration was just the joy on the faces of all of the fans. After the disappointing way 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016 ended this fan base deserved to be happy for what this team accomplished through this playoff run. For one day at least everyone at this parade was friends and we were all Texas Rangers fans. 

Corey Seager ended the day with his mic drop moment referring back to what Alex Bregman said after the Astros won the AL West. With that the celebration was over. The players will now shift into offseason mode, the front office will begin having meetings to discuss what’s next, and the season is officially over. Those memories created by the 2023 Texas Rangers will last forever. The parade was just an encapsulation of the happiness that this team gave to its fans and the fans in this parade gave it back to the players. Sometimes in the form of beer as Nathaniel Lowe found out during his time on the parade route. 

Now we move to the offseason, but unlike previous offseasons it will not be a time of angst or regret. The Texas Rangers are World Series champions. That will never be taken away.